The Mazzer Mini Espresso Grinder – Type A [REVIEW]

Appearance

Impressivedesign and build

Large Hopper

Large removable and easy-to-remove hopper

Settings

Patented micro-adjustment settings

Mazzer is an Italian company who specializes in producing high-end commercial grade coffee grinders. In the past decade, there’s been a growing trend in home coffee brewing. Mazzer exploited this trend by developing the Mazzer Mini Electronic Coffee Grinder.

The Mazzer Mini Espresso Grinder is the ultimate home-use coffee grinder. The design of this machine is impressive, it looks amazing on the outside and extremely durable on the inside. More importantly, it produces superior grind consistency and quality.

If you have the budget to take your coffee experience to a professional level, then the Mazzer Mini is the perfect choice for you.

Specification & Overview:Mazzer Mini - Type A

Dimension: 7.0' x 10.5' x 16.5'

Weight: 35lbs

Burr: 64mm stainless steel flat burrs

Hopper Capacity: 1.3lbs

Grind Settings: micrometrical adjustment system (stepless)

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What We Like

Superior grind consistency, especially for espressos

Next level fine-tuning with the patented micrometrical stepless adjustment system

Easy storage: Large bean hopper with sliding trap door

Mordern and sleek design

What We Don't Like

Difficult to clean and empty doser

Portafilter holder is too far from the doser

BIG, noisy, and expensive

The Mini is Best Suited For...

As the name suggest, the Mazzer Mini Espresso Grinder is going to be perfect for espresso aficionados who are looking for the best possible grinds. This burr grinder not only produces fine grinds that are excellent and uniform but also very consistent coarse grinds.

The Mazzer Mini is also a light-duty coffee grinder. So other than home-use, this machine is also suitable for small coffee shops or even busier ones that need an extra grinder for their less-popular roasts or decaf coffee.

When you take price and value to consideration, the Mazzer Mini is a professional grade coffee grinder that offers a range of excellent features. Despite its high price tag, it’s still considered to be very good value amongst professionals.

As such, you should get this coffee grinder if you have the budget, know what you’re doing (or are willing to learn), and preferably, have a developed palate so you can appreciate the results of your investment.

The Mazzer Mini Review

This Coffee Grinder's Features in Detail

Design & Appearance

Style

The Mini has a stunning exterior that comes in either stainless steel or black. This burr grinder looks modern and sturdy.

DON’T LET THE NAME FOOL YOU THOUGH!

Despite being a mini espresso grinder in commercial standard, the 7.0’W x 10.5’D x 16.5’H machine is huge compared to other home-use burr grinders. This will obviously contribute towards the WOW factor and how sturdy it looks, but do keep in mind that it’ll take up LOTS OF SPACE.

Burrs

This coffee grinder uses large 58mm stainless steel flat burrs. Typically, larger burrs grind faster and should dissipate more heat from the beans, keeping more of the coffee’s natural flavors intact. However, the burrs could expand slightly from heat because it’s made from steel. This could have a small effect on consistency and the burr grinder’s overall performance.

Capacity

There are two bean hoppers compatible with the Mazzer Mini – the shorter 11.3oz (320g), the medium 20.8oz (600g) and taller 35.3oz (1000g) model. I’ve recommended the one that uses a medium size hopper because it’s cheaper and fits easier at home (1.5’ shorter than the tallest one). However, you can always get a larger model as an additional accessory if you want.

In both models, it comes with a gate valve at the bottom that lets you seal the coffee beans inside. This allows you to store easily and switch between roasts.

Ease Of Use

Micrometrical Adjustment System (Stepless)

Mazzer owns several coffee grinder related patents, one of which is the micrometrical adjustment system. Unlike other stepless adjustment settings, this technology uses a special adjustment handle that lets you control and fine-tune grinds to a higher precision.

However, similar to other stepless adjustment coffee grinders, you can’t keep track of your favorite settings. This could be problematic if you’re looking for a wide variety of grind size – ie. you switch between roasts and brews quite a lot.

Dosing

Technically, this burr grinder is doserless. However, you can set an electronic timer and control how much coffee comes out at a specific time, which allows you to produce pre-determined shots – just like a dosing chamber would.

You can control the timer and dosage (one or two shots) on top of the chute. There is also a button that you can press and manually run the machine without the timer. This is an easy way to top off your portafilter if it’s not quite full yet.

[NOTE]I’m recommending the Mini Type A Model only. The Type B model works differently and is more annoying to use.

Cleaning and Maintenance

The Mazzer Mini is easy to clean and maintain. According to Seattle Coffee Gear, you only need a mini-vacuum and a brush. They produced a very detailed guide on what to do:

Price

This machine currently runs for around $1000. It’s a huge price tag, but at the same time, it’s a quality machine that comes with many excellent features – such as superior burrs and enhanced precision fine-tuning system. As such, I think it’s a great value burr grinder if you have the budget for it.

The Coffee Barrister's Verdict

I’ve said it in another article already, but I’ll say it again. The Mazzer Mini Electronic Coffee Grinder is the ultimate home-use coffee grinder. It excels in every area: design, build material, build quality, longevity, and performance. This grinder offers many great features and produces excellent grinds that are on par with commercial grade professional grinders. This is especially the case if you’re a coffee-lover looking for the best espresso experience.

Furthermore, the capacity and price point (although steep) makes it one of the best coffee grinder for small businesses or home-use. It comes with simple adjustment features (single or double shots), produces consistent grinds, and gives you full control on how to fine-tune the grind’s size.

Overall, if you have the budget, know how to use a stepless grinder (or don’t mind the challenge in learning), and appreciate different notes in coffee, then I think the Mazzer Mini is a great investment for you. You’ll most likely be using the same grinder for the rest of your life (YES, they last very very long).